Chimerism

thumb|right|upright|Cherry tree, consolidated "V" graft thumb|right|upright|Tape has been used to bind the rootstock and scion at the graft, and tar to protect the scion from desiccation. thumb|right|upright|A grafted tree showing two differently coloured blossoms

single organism composed of two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells

thumb|right|Cryptocarya williwilliana showing leaf venation and variegated leaves

right|thumb|220px|During pregnancy, a two-way traffic of immune cells may occur through the placenta. Exchanged cells can multiply and establish long-lasting cell lines that are immunologically active even decades after giving birth. Microchimerism is the presence of a small number of cells in an individual that have originated from another individual and are therefore genetically distinct. This phenomenon may be related to certain types of autoimmune diseases although the responsible mechanisms are unclear. The term comes from the prefix "micro" + "chimerism" based on the hybrid Chimera of G

thumb|A plate showing a "Free Martin" from the collected works of John Hunter. A freemartin or free-martin (sometimes martin heifer) is an infertile cow with masculinized behavior and non-functioning ovaries. Such a cow is born as one of a pair of twins, with a male calf as the other twin. Phenotypically, the animal appears female, but various aspects of her female reproductive development were altered due to acquisition of anti-Müllerian hormone from the male twin. Genetically, the animal is chimeric: karyotypy as a sample of cells shows XX/XY chromosomes. The animal originates as a female (X

virus containing genetic material from other organisms

American sufferer of Chimera

46,XX/46,XY is either a chimeric or mosaic genetic condition characterized by the presence of some cells that express a 46,XX karyotype and some cells that express a 46,XY karyotype in a single human being. Individuals with these conditions are classified as intersex.